Lessons 17–18 · 2 lessons · Sh. Ergashev, B. Xodjayev, J. Abdullayev. World History (1991–2017): textbook for Grade 11 of secondary schools and for students of secondary specialised and vocational institutions. 1st edition. “Turon-Iqbol”, Tashkent, 2018
17
Japan, 1991–2017
Textbook: pp. 77–80
GoalExplain the main changes in Japan’s economy, politics and society after 1991.
New words
the “bubble economy”, the late-1980s boom in asset prices · «puflama iqtisodiyot»the “lost decades”, a long period of slow growth after the bubble burst · «yo‘qotilgan o‘n yilliklar»the emperor, in Japan a symbolic head of state under the constitution · imperatorpopulation ageing, the growing share of elderly people · aholining qarishi
Explanation
In the late 1980s property and share prices in Japan rose far too high; in the early 1990s this “bubble economy” burst and a long period of slow growth began, called the “lost decades”. In politics the Liberal Democratic Party, which had ruled for many years, briefly lost power in 1993 and then returned. In 1995 the Kobe earthquake and the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinrikyo cult shook society. The powerful earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 led to an accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Japan’s population is ageing fast and shrinking; its economy is now around fourth in the world. Emperor Akihito abdicated in 2019 and was succeeded by Naruhito.
Worked examples
Fukushima: in 2011 the tsunami disabled the plant’s cooling systems; hundreds of thousands of people nearby were temporarily evacuated and the country revised its nuclear safety rules.
Ageing: in Japan people aged 65 and over are more than a quarter of the population; this raises pension and health costs while the workforce shrinks.
Class activity
Compare the economies of Japan and China: on what each one’s growth relied, and why the pace differed in 1990–2020. Write 4–5 sentences.
Practice
1
When did the “bubble economy” burst?
In the early 1990s.
2
In which year and why did the Fukushima accident happen?
In 2011, because of an earthquake and tsunami.
3
Why is Japan’s population ageing? Give two factors.